1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to chip packaging means packing chip-tupe elecronic components (hereinafter referred to as "chips") and supply mechanism for supplying chips by using the package means. More prticularly, this invention relates to packaging means packing chips for storage and transportion and also used as supply source to feed chips to a mounting head of an automatic chip mounting apparatus when the mounting head is to mount chips on printed circuit boards, and supply mechanism for supplying chips to the mounting head by using the packaging means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, as forms of packaging chips, taping, magazine-type packaging, pouch packaging and the like are well known. Alternately, bulk-type packaging, in which chips are randomly contained within a case and are adapted to be discharged out of the case one by one and fed to a mounting head when the mounting head is to mount chipd on printed circuit boards, is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Opened Patent Application Nos. 280129/1987, 22378/1988, 82974/1988 and 82975/1988. In the conventional bulk-type packaging, the case has a three-dimensional space of a rectangular shape and chips are randomly stored within the space of the case. The feeding of the chips to a mounting head is carried out by causing the case to be obliquely arranged and feeding air to the case or causing the case to be vibrated to discharge the chips one by one from an outlet which is formed in the case. Also, the feeding of the chips to the mounting head is performed by preparing a case which has a space for receiving chips therein, the chips randomly received in the space, and a chip outlet, and an oblique passage member extendinng in a downward direction as a continuation of the outlet, and feedihng air to the case or causing the case to be vibrated to discharge the chips one by one through the outlet to the passage member. However, in the conventional packaging case, the chips are randomly received in the space of the case and adapted to be moved to the outlet of the case, so that when the chips pass through the outlet of the case one by one, the chips may be caught by a wall of the case which constitutes the outlet, whereby the chips may be prevented from being smoothly discharge out of the case through the outlet of the case.